Shout Out to River Lifesaves, May 2025
by: Susan W. Smith
Last month, I started a new series of articles that we will feature all summer. Once, a few years ago, I asked the question,
“Imagine if there was no gas station near your home, no mechanic to fix your car, or, when at home, no place to park your car?”
Yes, it was about the importance of having reliable marinas in our Thousand Islands - some are right on the water near our islands, while others are located “up on the highway.”
Eastern Marine is one of those. There is no convenient gas dock, but they certainly are a lifesaver. You see they store our boats over the winter, they make all the necessary repairs and best of all they prepare the boat, launch it and deliver it to our mooring slip – all ready for early May weekends.
If you are an islander or mariner you will recognize the names Danny Hicks, owner; Jan Gordon Shortall, Marina Operations manager; and Billy Bartlett, Marine Mechanic; Ross Gordon, Master Mercury Mechanic and new for 2025 is Liz McBride who is a Marine Engine Apprentice. (Liz's father is Chris McBride whom we gave a shout out to last month from Brennan Marine.)
Eastern Marine was established in 1990 as a dryland marina on Hiscock's Road in Gananoque. Then in 2015 they moved to the old Home Hardware location on Stone Street.
When looking for a small world story. Both Jan and Ross were part of the Gordon family and ran Gordon Marine on Gananoque's waterfront in the 1980s. And Danny Hicks worked for the Gordons as a marine mechanic.
Today, Eastern Marine offers outdoor and heated boat storage and shrink-wrapping. They also maintain a marine supply store and most important, do mechanical repairs as they are a supplier for Certified Marine Parts Supplier.
Also, tucked into the property is the Wooden Boat Shop, owned by Mike Corrigan - who deserves another shout out.
When we asked Jan if she wanted to tell us something special and she said, "Everyone at Eastern Marine looks forward to another great summer on the water with our Canadian and US. friends." We add . . . thanks to Eastern Marine and their crew.
Available 24/7/365 ...R J Marine, Clayton NY
Now skip across the River to Clayton NY and ask yourself the same question -
“Imagine if there was no gas station near your home, no mechanic to fix your car, or, when at home, no place to park your car?”
But that is not all, What if you don’t have a boat and need a ride to an island. Look no further than R J Marine, located on the water in Clayton NY. In fact, they have a question of their own:
“Need a ride? Our licensed and insured masters will be happy to run you across the water anywhere you wish. We offer water taxi and grocery service to all points on the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This service is operational April to December.”
A review of their website will provide lots of information. They have two barges for service in the Islands. The Palm Grove can actually hold four F150 pick up trucks. Of course those living on Grindstone island need RJ Marine service and it is appreciated. The newest barge, Maple Grove, is just as efficient with a capacity of holding 120,000 lbs. Both barges are fully insured with licensed, professional crews.
They say a picture is worth a 1000 words - so here are just some of the great photographs that R J Marine has on their instagram site.
So as we complete this second month of posing important questions as: “Need a ride to an island, Need to bring a truckload of something to Grindstone Island, fill your tank with gas, or just help a construction company, or... or... or... the list never ends. We can easily say a shoutout is required and making that shoutout to RJ Marine is a no brainer!
By Susan W. Smith, Info@thousandislandslife.com
